Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a new Souls-like adventure RPG that shares many similarities with other Souls-like titles. The game is developed by Team Ninja, the studio behind Nioh games, which demonstrates the studio’s expertise in developing high-profile RPGs.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has attracted the attention of many since it was first revealed, and it is one of the most anticipated games of the year. The setting of the game is set in ancient China, with great-looking gameplay, good enemy design, and overall visual effects. Now that we have it, where does Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty stand among other titles in the same category? Is it a new experience for Souls fans?
The story without spoilers
The events of the game take place in ancient China, specifically before the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era, at the end of the Han dynasty, in the year 184 AD. The protagonist of the game is required to eliminate a major rebellion of the Yellow Turban, a group of commoners who sought to destabilize the system of government in ancient China.
The story in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is based on mixing real historical events with a tint of fantasy and fantasy. In our story here, devastation prevails during this rebellion due to the spread of a magic drink called Elixir, which either turns people into zombies or gives them superpowers. Magic powers are a good part of the fantasy side of the story, and it’s the studio’s addition to a well-known historical story.
In general, the story is not central here, as is the case with other games of this category. The first focus is on the gameplay, and the story is only an incentive to keep the player interested in completing the game.
The story spans 30 hours or more, of course considering how often you’ll die fighting bosses, and if you’ve adapted to the game’s battle and progression system here. We will discuss more about that in the following lines.
Game content
- The game offers completely linear stages, where in each stage you enter a limited new environment, and you advance linearly by killing enemies on your way up to facing a boss towards the end of the stage. Later in the story, you will be able to travel between the different environments of the game, to upgrade gear or revisit a place.
- The battles here depend mainly on parrying. Yes, you can dodge or make a normal save without regard to timing, but that doesn’t really work in battles. The combat design is very similar to Sekiro in this regard, but it’s arguably more forgiving here.
- Then there is a different type of strike, martial arts, which are special strikes that different types can be unlocked over the course of play, and they do more damage and feel great when using them.
- Besides the health bar, there is another bar that expresses the status or “Posture”, just like Sekiro. That tape, being full, causes temporary stun and immobility for a number of seconds. The more hits you hit the less the bar fills up, and the more you dodge or take hits the more the bar fills up. The “Posture” status bar is there for the player as well as for the enemies.
- The game presents the RPG elements simply and without complication or depth. The manufacture and development of weapons and equipment depends on a few statistics in a direct and simple way. In exchange for certain resources, you directly raise the level of your weapon.
- There are magical abilities that follow basic elements, and you can evolve each of them to increase the power of its magic. In the beginning, magic is not very important in battles, but as you progress and unlock stronger forms of magic, it becomes an important component.
- As I mentioned, the stages here are linear, so the progression system is also simple. As you advance you will meet areas where you can raise a flag, so you have saved your progress at that point. It also replenishes health and its items, from which it is possible to develop the level of magic and raise the level of the character in general.
- The game introduces a system of levels for battles that are separate from the general level of the character, as it is a variable level that depends on your performance in battles. The more enemies you hit and eliminate, the higher the battle level, and with it your power. Conversely, the more hits you receive, the lower the level of battles.
- When you save progress and raise the flag, the battle level recorded at that time is saved, and the next time you die, you will return to the level at which you saved the progress. It’s a bit harsh, but also defiant.
- The game introduces the utility system in battles. At first it is mandatory to have another fighter with you in the battles, then after that it becomes optional and you can summon any of the available companions you want, this makes the battles a little easier.
- It is possible to play cooperatively with another player through the Internet, and it is also possible to conquer the worlds of other players. You can deactivate this feature if you wish.
Features of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
- Fun gameplay. Combat and movement, the use of weapons and the feel of the blows, the parry at the perfect time, all these factors make the gameplay very interesting and even addictive for fans of this genre.
- Cool design for bosses. One of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s strong points is the boss design, both the battle design itself and the visual design of the bosses.
- Simple game systems and RPG elements. It can be said that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is one of the simplest Souls-like games with regard to game systems and elements. Everything here is straightforward and simple, which may seem a defect to fans of this classification, but it is an advantage for those who want to enter this classification of games from a portal. Wo Long.
- The variety of gameplay environments and the beauty of its design. From dark and gloomy rainy night to sunny desert environments, the environments in Wo Long are well varied, and its visual design is distinctive and quickly puts the player into the atmosphere of the game.
- The splendor of photographing ancient China and building its atmosphere. Wo Long is an impressive time portal for fans of that time period from ancient China, as it is characterized by depicting that period and building its atmosphere with splendor and beauty.
- A deep and detailed system for customizing the player character and their appearance.
Negatives
- Ordinary story and weak narration. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty had a golden opportunity in a wonderful world to become a great game, but laziness with a good story and almost no narrative elements squandered it. So even though the story isn’t the main element here, it’s not up to par either.
- The game is very demanding, although graphically mediocre. Wo Long has a nice art direction, and the graphics are of good quality, but not superstitious either.
- Poor design of some stages. At some points I was struggling to find a way forward. This is despite the fact that the stages are linear, but their poor design and the similarity of the elements of the environment in one stage in some stages made dealing with those stages difficult.
- Not supporting the Arabic language. As we say in every new individual game that does not support the Arabic language, it is no longer acceptable in 2023 that important games not be available – at least – in Arabic.
Do I recommend Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
It can be said that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is geared more towards Sekiro fans. Or, to be more precise, for those who love Sekiro but can’t finish it and beat its bosses, Wo Long shares a lot in common with it, but is simpler and more forgiving in many ways.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Wo Long is on Sekiro’s level, no, Sekiro easily beats it in almost every aspect, but it’s still a good experience.
I’d recommend Wo Long, but not at full price, and fortunately it’s been available on Game Pass from day one.
Story and narration – 6.5
Gameplay – 9.5
Stage design – 7.5
Graphics, sound and technical performance – 8.5
8
Excellent
A fun experience for fans of Souls-like games, and refreshing for Sekiro fans in particular. It’s the more forgiving version of Sekiro with the ease of many of its systems. It’s a fun game, but it could be a lot better if the story and narration were improved and the level design was better.